Indonesian authorities warned they will pursue legal action against anyone caught deliberately starting fires, as large blazes on the island of Borneo blanketed cities in thick smoke and sent haze drifting across the border into Malaysia.
The fires are concentrated in Kalimantan, Indonesia’s portion of Borneo, the world’s third-largest island, which the country shares with Malaysia and Brunei. Indonesia’s Forestry Ministry recorded more than 5,000 hot spots across the region.
Smoke has reduced visibility to as little as one to ten meters in parts of Kalimantan, contributing to road accidents and disrupting flights. Television footage showed streets and buildings obscured by haze, with drivers using their headlights in daytime and residents, including schoolchildren, wearing masks outdoors.
Indonesia’s National Disaster Management Agency attributed the fires to an intensifying El Niño pattern and an extended dry season. Authorities say land is often cleared illegally by fire for plantations and agriculture, a recurring practice that periodically shrouds parts of Southeast Asia in hazardous smoke during dry-season months.
The smoke has drifted into Malaysia’s eastern state of Sarawak, among the worst-affected areas, where one district recorded “very unhealthy” air quality readings on Friday and eight others posted “unhealthy” levels, prompting the closure of nearly 600 schools.
Transboundary haze from Indonesian peatland and forest fires has long strained relations with neighboring countries, with Malaysia and Singapore periodically reporting hazardous air quality during past fire seasons originating in Sumatra and Kalimantan.
